This application discloses an invention which is related, generally and in various embodiments, to a multiple resolution video network with eye tracking based control.
Video networks are becoming more and more commonplace, including those utilizing digital cameras in the security and surveillance fields. For most security and surveillance applications, more optimal results are generally realized when more high resolution cameras are included in the video network. More cameras may be utilized to cover a larger geographic area, increase the number of views associated with a particular area, decrease the number of “blind” spots, etc.
However, in many current video networks, especially those which include wireless channels, the maximum bandwidth of the video network often operates to limit the number of high resolution cameras which can be effectively included in the video network. The amount of bandwidth generally needed to transmit high resolution images (e.g., 640×480 pixels) from a high resolution camera at a high frame rate (e.g., 30 frames per second) and at a low compression rate percentage (e.g., 10%) is on the order of approximately nine Megabits per second. Thus, for a video network which includes a wireless channel, the video network may not be able to support a single high resolution camera, depending on the desired resolution, frame rate and compression rate percentage. For example, the approximately nine Megabits per second bandwidth needed in the above example far exceeds the capacity of current Bluetooth technology, which is only on the order of approximately three Megabits per second.
The capacity problem is not limited to video networks which include wireless channels. For a video network which includes twelve high resolution cameras, the required bandwidth generally needed to concurrently transmit high resolution images (e.g., 640×480 pixels) from the twelve high resolution cameras at a high frame rate (e.g., 30 frames per second) and at a low compression rate percentage (e.g., 10%) is on the order of approximately one-hundred and eight Megabits per second, which exceeds the capacity of traditional Ethernet cable, which is only on the order of approximately one-hundred Megabits per second. Thus, depending on the desired resolution, frame rate and compression percentage, video networks utilizing traditional Ethernet cable are often limited to including fewer than twelve high resolution cameras in the video network.
Additionally, for video networks which include a plurality of high resolution cameras, it is generally not practical for a person or persons to intently view each and every one of the high resolution images transmitted by the cameras. In general, each person is typically limited to intently viewing the images from only one camera at a time. Thus, the scheme of sending all images at a high resolution, a high frame rate, and a low compression percentage rate tends to be an inefficient use of valuable network bandwidth.